Cooling unit for refrigerators



Nov, 24, 1942.

VE. J. VAN RIPER COOLING UNI'LFOR REFRIGERATORS Filed Dec. 17. 1941 Fi'gl.-

n e w, .my n my@ M TCA .m M W H Y b Patented Nov. y24, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFlcE 2,303,150 oooLnvG UNIT Foa REFRTGERATQRS Edwin J. Van Riper, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 17, 1941, Serial No. 423,357

(Cl. (i2-126) 2 Claims.

My invention relates to cooling units for refrigerators and particularly to cooling units includingI removable cooling containers.

It is an object of my invention to provide a cooling unit for refrigerators having a removable coolingcontainer and an improved arrangevention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation view,

partly in section, of the upper portion of the cooling unit shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional front elevation view vof the cooling unit shown in Fig. 1.

Briey, the cooling unit shown in the drawing comprises a sheet metal evaporator constituting a housing and having freezing shelves for the' freezing of water, dessertsfand the like extend-V ing across the interior of the housing. In the upper portion of the housing is arranged a container having an open front and which is closed by a doo-r on the housing. The container is spaced from the walls of the housing and may be removed by sliding it out of. the wall opening of the housing. In order to cool the container to temperatures above freezing but suitable for the preservation of meats and the like, a refrigerated plate or shoe is resiliently mounted'on one of the upper walls of the housing, and when the container is vin place this plate is pressed against the wall of the container and cools the container. The refrigerant connections to the cooling, plate are flexible or resilient and the container may be moved in or out of the housing in sliding engagement with the plate without `disturbing the refrigerant connections.

Referring now to the drawing, in Fig. 1 have shown a household refrigerator comprising a thermally insulated cabinet I0 having a door Il and provided with a cooling compartment I2. In order to cool the compartment I provide a cooling unit or evaporator I3 in the form of a sheet metal housing having a door I4 closing the upper portion thereof. lThe evaporator I3 is provided with a refrigerant header I5 and re- 55 frigerant passages IB in the Walls of the housing. Shelvesv I1 and I8 extending laterally between the inner walls of the housing are provided to support freezing -trays and the like, and the bottom wall I9 of the evaporator also serves as a freezing tray ,support.

The details of construction of the cooling unit are more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The walls of ,the housing I3 comprise inner and outer sheet metal portions 20 and 2|', respectively, the lower shelf I1 being formed by bending the sheet metal structure back upon itself. The upper portion of the right-hand side Wall of the hous-A ing comprises a single sheet metal wall 22, and the upper shelf I8 comprises top and bottom sheet metal portions 23 and 24, respectively, the shelf I8 being welded or otherwise suitably secured between the walls of the housing on a ange 25 comprising a portion of the lower sheet 24 and an angle piece 26 comprising a separate strip .of metal secured to the left-hand Wall of the housing. The header and the several refrigerant pas-.

sages vin the evaporator walls and in the shelves are formed by providing suitable corrugations or indentations in one or both of the sheetmetal portions of the wall and thereafter welding the sheets together around their peripheries and between the indentations to form a leakpro'of rigid evaporator structure.

Some foods, such as meats, are best kept at temperatures above freezing. and yet considerably below the Atemperature prevailing in the main food compartment of the refrigerator. In order to provide a zone in which meats may be preserved within the desired temperature range, I provide a container 21 in the upper portion of the evaporator above the shelf I8, The container 21 is open at its front end which lies adjacent the front end of the evaporator and is closed by the door I4. The containerl 21 is spaced from the walls of the housing including a top Wall indicated at 28 and which comprises the top inner wall of the compartment I2. The spacing of the container 21 above vthe shelf I8 is sufficiently great to provide room for the placing of freezing trays on the shelf below the container. The container is maintained in position within the housing on suitable guides or rails 29 and 30, the container being provided withl a plurality of feet 3| for engaging the guides. In order that the temperatures within the container 21 shall not becomektoo low, it is desirable that the container should not be in direct -heat exchange relation with any substantial -reason that the container is spaced from the I the conduit.

`moved from the wall 32 by flexing the ends o1' the spring out of their positions on the pins 34. 'I'he plate 32 comprises a sheet metal body portion 36 vand a U-shaped refrigerant conduit 31 extending around the edges of the plate 36, the edge portions of the plate being bent around the conduit as indicated, at 38.

It is apparent that the container 21 may be moved in and out of the housing or evaporator 'I3'in sliding engagement with the plate 32.

When the container is in the housing, the cooling effect of the plate 32 in the upper portion of the container 21 cools the container and induces some circulation of air therein. The conduit 31 is provided with inlet and outlet connections 39 and 40, respectively, for admitting refrigerant to and withdrawing refrigerant from f 'I'he connections 39 and 40 are made suiiciently resilient or fiexible to allow the necessary movement of the plate 32 without disturbance the refrigerant connections thereto. The arrangement of the refrigerant connections for admitting refrigerant to the 'passages in the walls of the housing I3 and for withdrawing vaporized refrigerant therefrom have not been shown as they form no part of the present invention.

During the operation of the refrigerator the container 21 may be taken out of the housing for cleaning or in order' to provide greater space above the shelf I8 when the container itself is not required to be used, and it is unnecessary to interfere with any of the refrigerant connections to the container.

From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that I have provided a simple and easily constructed arrangement for securing a zone suitable for the preservation of meats and similar foodsand which includes a cooling container, or compartment, cooled by direct heat transfer with a suitable plate or cooling element and which may be removed from the refrigerant evaporator without disturbing any refrigerant connections.

While I have shown and described my invention in connection with a particular. form of cooling unit for` household refrigerators, other applications will readily be apparent to those skilled in 'the art. I do not, therefore, desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shownA and described, and I intend in the appended claims to cover al1 modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cooling unit for a refrigerator comprising a housing, means providing a conduit for containing refrigerant to cool the walls of said housing, a metallic container slidably mounted within said housing and spaced from the walls thereof. said container being removable from said housing, a movable cooling element arranged between said container and the walls 0f said housing and .having a refrigerant passage therein and refrigerant inlet and outlet connections, and resilient means for pressing said cooling element into contact with said container to cool said' container, said container` and said cooling element being so constructed and arranged that said container may be moved in and out of said housing in sliding engagement with said element and without disturbing the refrigerant connections to said cooling element.

2.v A cooling unit for a refrigerator comprising a housing having an opening in one side thereof, a metallic container arranged' within said housing and spaced from the walls thereof, guides secured on the walls of said housing for slidably receiving said container and for maintaining said container spaced from .the walls' of said housing, and means including a plate and a mounting therefor for securing said plate in said housing in heat exchange relation with said container, said mounting including a spring secured to a wall of said housing for pressing said plate resiliently against said container, said plate comprising a sheet .metal member having a iiat surface of substantial area adapted to engage said container and a refrigerant conduit secured in good heat exchange relationship with said sheet metal member, refrigerant inlet and outlet connections for said conduit, said container and said plate being so constructed andv 

